Portable agricultural elevator



May 15, 1951 w vu-rz 2,553,488

PORTABLE AGRICULTURAL ELEVATOR Filed Dec. 14, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR.

W/L MEL M W! TZ ATTO/WVE V May 15, 1951 w. vu'rz 2,553,488

PORTABLE AGRICULTURAL ELEVATOR Filed Dec. 14, 1949 ZSheets-Sheet- 2 JIVVENTOR. W/LHEL/M' vurz Patented May 15., 1951 UNITED STATES EATENT OFFICE PORTABLE AGRICULTURAL ELEVATOR Wilhelm Vutz, Goldwater, Ohio, assignor to Avco Manufacturing Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application December 14, 1949, Serial No. 132,971

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to an improved portable agricultural elevator for use in conveying materials such as ears of corn, bales of hay and other farm produce from a given level to a higher level.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a movable truck structure on which is pivotally secured an upwardly inclined elevator chute which can be adjusted to various heights relative to the truck structure. The novel construction incorporates improved means for raising and lowering the chute, the means being conveniently and easily operated by a single individual and also includes extensible means for lengthening the truck for use with various chutes of different length.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an elevator which is constructed and arranged to enable one person to raise and lower an associated elevator chute throughout its operating range simply by operating a manual device conveniently located at one side of the truck structure. I

Another object of the present invention is the provision of means for raising and lowering the chute by apparatus disposed entirely beneath the chute, thereby avoiding any obstruction above the chute and making possible the use of the elevator for conveying relative bulky articles, such as bales of hay.

A particular advantage of the invention is the provision of a supporting truck of adjustable length which permits the use of a common truck with various chutes of different length.

A further advantage of the present invention is the provision of simple and economical means for adjusting the position of the center of gravity of the various chutes to attain proper balance when the elevator is in its raised operative position, as well as proper balance when the elevator chute is in the lowered transportable position which facilitates attachment to the draw bar of a tractor.

An elevator constructed according to the teachings of this invention has the lower end of the conveyor chute resting on the ground at all times during its operation regardless of its elevation. This arrangement is very beneficial and precludes any need for shifting the chute axially as its elevation is altered as required by prior art devices supported by ground wheels adjacent the lower end of the chute.

The novel features that are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims; the invention itself, however,

both as to its organization and method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will best be understood from the following description of a specific embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective View of a portable agricultural elevator with its conveyor chute in a raised operative position, the lowered inoperative position of the elevator chute being indicated by dot and dash lines;

Figure 2 shows in perspective a portion of a reach tube releasably secured to a portion of the elevator truck; and,

Figure 3 shows in perspective a portion of the conveyor chute with one end of the reach tube pivotally secured thereto.

With particular reference to Figure 1, the preferred embodiment of the present invention incorporates a rigid truck structure, generally designated l, to one end of which are secured for rotation a pair of coaxial ground wheels 2. A boom 3, consisting of a truncated A frame, is pivotally attached as at 4 to the truck structure and, by means to be described hereinafter, may be swung about i 's pivotal axis to raise and lower a cooperatively disposed conveyor chute 5, one end of the conveyor chute being supported by the boom at all times while in its raised position. During all operating periods, the lower end rests on the ground. In the course of the raising and lowering movement, the conveyor chute pivots about its lower end which is pivotally attached to a reach tube 6. The reach tube is releasably secured to the end of the truck structure opposite wheels 2 and extends outwardly therefrom.

Any appropriate device for feeding material to the lower end of the chute may be used. For illustration, a hopper l is shown secured to the lower end of conveyor chute 5 to facilitate the feeding thereinto of materials which are to be conveyed upwardly into a barn, corn crib, or receiving bin. Inasmuch as the conveyor chute does not comprise any part of the invention, the details thereof will not be described herein but may comprise any standard structure well known in the art. It is noteworthy, however, that hopper i is always conveniently positioned to receive produce since the lower end of the conveyor rests on the ground regardless of the inclination of the chute.

An elevator of the type disclosed herein can be used to advantage where materials are to be conveyed upwardly and fed into bins of various heights; and for this reason it is an important 3 feature of the device that it be readily and easily adjustable to various elevations, the included angle defined by the longitudinal axis of the chute and the ground level being changed in the course of the adjustment.

A combined lift and hitch 8 is provided at the lower end of the conveyor chute to facilitate attachment of the elevator to the draw-bar of a tractor in order, to permit the elevator to be pulled from one location to another. It is contemplated that normally the conveyor chute will be in its...

lowered position, as indicated by dot and dash lines in Figure 1, when it is being transported.

Although it is realized thatvarious conven:

tional types of lifts and hitches-can be usedLwith the herein disclosed structure, hitch 8, indicated in Figure l, is an improved type which has been fully described and claimed in United States patent application Serial. No. 92,460, filed May 1O, 1949, and now Patent No. 2,546,531 granted February 8, 1951, disclosing an improved hitch for a portable elevator, invented by Wilhelm Vutz.

A-- pair of supporting standards are rigidly securedat-one endof the truck i for supporting the-conveyor chute when in-its lowered position. When'thechute is in this'position; boom 3 is correspondingly positioned beneath it, as indicated at-3a;

A pairof vertically extending tubular posts it and-ll are components of truck i and not only comprisestructure elements thereof but aid in the manipulation of a cable 62 by means of which boom 3' is swung about its pivotal'axis to raise and lower the conveyor chute. The cable, fixedly secured at one end to the upper part of tubular post Iii, exerts force on boom 3 through a pair of pulleys i3, swivelly secured to a crossbar Id of the boom. Another pulley I5 is pivotally secured to the upper part of tubularpost- H" and guides cable l2 as it is wound andunwound by a winch (notshown) secured by a bracket !6 to a lower portion of tubularpost H. The winch may be of any standard design that incorporates a rotatable hand crank, such as shown at 7, and in the preferred embodiment is conveniently located at one side of the elevator structure where it may be easily operated by a single person. The winch is'provided'with a conventional worm and gear mechanism to hold the drum thereof against turning except when actuated by crank ll.

As the cable is wound on the winch, thedistance between the upper ends of posts iii and l l and pulleys i3, secured to the boom, is decreased andthe boom is raised from position 3a, shown in-dot'and dash lines in Figure 1, toward the position'shown in full lines. In the course of the swinging movement of the boom, the conveyor chute is gradually raised, the distal ends I8 of the boom bearing in guided relationship on parallel guide bars indicated at !9 which are secured to the lower face 29 of the conveyor chute. To facilitate raising and lowering of the conveyor chute, rollers Hid are pivotally secured to distal-ends i for rolling engagement on the guide bars; It will be readily understood by those skilledin the art that, as the boom is gradually swung towards its vertical position under the influence of cable I2, the conveyor chute is gradually" forced upwardly. Stops I 90!. have been provided to-prevent over-travel of the boom relative to the guide bars.

When a suitable operating position has been attained, cranking of the winch is stopped. Boom 3in'its raised position then acts as a prop for supporting the conveyor chute in its elevated position while it is used to convey the agricultural products upwardly into a receiving bin.

With reference to Figure 3, it will be noted that a reinforcing plate 2! is secured to lower face 29 of the conveyor chute and has secured thereto outwardly projecting brackets 22 which position and. support apivot pin 23. which, as indicated in Figure 3, may be a conventional bolt. One end of reach tube 6 is pivotally secured to brackets 22 by the pivot pin 23 While the opposite end of the reach tube is releasably secured to cross: brace 24 and end plates 26 of the.truck structure.v A yoke 25 may be rigidly attachedfto cross brace 24 in position to engage andguide thereach tube as it is slid inwardly and outwardly of the truck structure, bolts 21 being-provided for.securing the reach tube to the cross brace and end plates. A plurality of holes 28 is provided at intervals to facilitate the adjustment of the reach tube and are suitably spacedto-permit theinsertionof both bolts 2? simultaneously, regardless of the desired position of-the reach tuberelative to'the truck.

A very desirable feature of the herein disclosed elevator structure is that various conveyor chutes may be-installed and used in conjunction with'a single-truck. It hasbeen found from experience-that for most ordinary purposes conveyor chutes-varying in length from-26 to 36' feet are entirely satisfactory. Interchangeability of. var ious chutes with a common truck structure is obviously avery desirable feature and makes possible a large economy for farmers having diversifi'ed elevator requirements.

Adjustability of the reach tube makes possible variation of the distance between the axisof the groundwheels and pivot pin 23 at'the lower-end of the conveyor chute. When a chute of'increasedlength is installed in place of a relatively shorter chute, this distance is increased by extension of thereach tube and balance of the'elevator-is established both'for inoperative as well as the operative positions of the conveyor chute.-

Ithas' been found-in practice'that by adjusting the reach tube so that thecenter of gravity.

of the elevator with its chute lowered is, slightly to the rightlas viewed in Figure 1) of. the center' line of the wheels the lowered end of the chute may be raised by a very small force. for attaching-it to a tractor. Furthermore, the excellent'balance attained in conjunction with the improvedhitch and lift device disclosed in application Serial No. 92,460, makes attachment of the elevator to atractor'extremely simple and convenient:

Other-associated advantages result from the adjustability of thereach tube. For instance, itis obviousthat were the reach tube not EX? tended outwardly from the truck structure when a.conveyor chute of increased length was installed, the entire structure would be unbalanced when the chute was lowered since the center of gravity would gradually move to the left of. the center line of the wheels, thus tending to lift the hopper end of the conveyor chute off the ground and making attachment to the draw-bar of the tractor difficult if not impossible.

Furthermore, proper balance of the lowered elevator with the center. of gravity to the right of the center line of the wheels assures proper balance of th structure whenin its operative position. This will be more fully appreciated when it is pointedoutthatas the chute is raised, the

center of gravity of the conveyor chute proper moves along a circular are having pivot pin 23 as its center. Simultaneously, the center of gravity of the boom proper is moved upwardly in a circular are having its center at i. It is to be noted, therefore, that the movement of both of these parts of the elevator shifts the combined center of gravity of the entire structure to the right, thus keeping it well behind the center line of the wheels when the elevator is in its operative position and assuring stability regardless of the weight and disposition of the produce along the length of the conveyor during its use.

Rotation of hand crank ll in a reverse direction permits cable E2 to unwind. from the winch and correspondingly permits boom 5% to swing downwardly towards the horizontal position, thus lowering the conveyor chute to facilitate attach ment to the draw bar of a tractor for transportation to a new field of activity.

Having described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I claim:

1. In combination in a portable agricultural elevator, an elongated rigid framework having a pair of upright posts secured intermediate the ends of said framework, a pair of ground wheels rotatably secured at one end of said framework, a single extensible tubular member releasably secured adjacent to and projecting from the opposite end of said framework, a rigid unitary conveying means pivotally secured to the projecting end of said extensible member for raising and lowering movements relative to said framework, the lower end of said conveying means resting on the ground, a rigid boom having a pair of laterally spaced rigid supporting members pivotally secured to said framework adjacent said ground wheels for swinging movements between a horizontal position and a vertical position, said boom being cooperatively disposed beneath said conveying means, a pair of rollers pivotally secured to the ends of the rigid supporting members of said boom remote from said framework for supporting said conveying means, a winch secured to one of the vertical posts of said framework, and a cable secured at one end to the other vertical post and in slidable engagement with said boom and in winding engagement with said winch whereby said boom may be swung between a horizontal and a vertical position to adjust the angle of elevation of said conveying means relative to the ground.

2. In combination in a portable agricultural elevator, an elongated rigid framework having a pair of laterally spaced vertical posts secured intermediate the ends of said framework, a pair of ground wheels rotatably secured at one end of said framework, a single tubular member projecting from the other end of said framework and releasably secured thereto for changing the effective length of said framework, a unitary rigid conveyor pivotally connected adjacent one end to the projecting end of said tubular member, the adjacent end of said conveyor resting on the ground with the remainder of the conveyor disposed above said framework, a boom having a pair of laterally spaced structural members pivotally secured to said framework adjacent said ground wheels for swinging movements between a horizontal and vertical position, bearing members rotatably secured to the projecting ends of said structural members remote from said rigid framework, said bearing members cooperating with said boom to support said conveyor in various elevated operative positions, a winch secured to one of the vertical posts of said rigid framework, cable means having one end secured to the other vertical post and its opposite end operatively associated with said winch, said cable means being slidably associated with said boom whereby said boom can be swung from the horizontal to the vertical position by the operation of said winch to adjust the operative position of said conveyor, and supporting standards rigidly secured to said framework adjacent said ground wheels for support ing said conveyor between the vertical posts while the conveyor is in its lowered inoperative position.

3. In combination in a portable agricultural elevator, an elongated rigid framework, ground wheels rotatabl secured to one end of said framework, 9, single extensible member releasably secured adjacent to and projecting from the opposite end of said framework, a rigid unitary conveying means pivotally secured to the projecting end of said extensible member for raising and lowering movements relative to said framework, the lower end of said conveying means resting on the ground, a rigid boom pivotally secured to said framework adjacent said ground wheels for swinging movements between a horizontal position and a vertical position, said boom being cooperatively disposed beneath said conveying means, a winch secured to said framework, and a cable secured at one end to said framework and in slidable engagement with said boom and in winding engagement with said winch whereby said boom may be swung between a horizontal and a vertical position to adjust the angle of elevation of said conveying means relative to the ground.

WILHELM VUTZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,095,077 Brown et al Apr. 28, 1914 1,114,425 Adams Oct. 20, 1914 1,718,227 Gilman June 25, 1929 1,750,855 Neighbour Mar. 18, 1930 2,403,636 Chantland July 9, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 767,494 France May 1, 1934 

